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Chargrilled Dover sole,
spiced butter
Serves 4
What can be better than a beautifully grilled, very fresh Dover sole that you know has been
responsibly caught off the nearest coastline?
Top with a chilli and smoked paprika butter and serve with some seasonal vegetables
and you will have a superb meal. Of course, sole is expensive, but you could use
sustainable plaice, lemon sole or megrim instead. And if you don’t fancy the
chilli, flavour the butter with crushed garlic, chopped parsley or chopped
anchovies instead.
Planning ahead: Ask your fishmonger to remove the dark skin from
the fish for you. The butter can be made a few days in advance and
refrigerated or frozen.
Preparation: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes chilling
Cooking: 10 minutes
Special equipment: Griddle pan or barbecue
Ingredients:
• 4 Dover soles (350–450g each), heads and dark skin
removed, trimmed
• Plain flour, for dusting
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the spiced butter:
• 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 5g medium-strength red chilli, deseeded
and finely chopped
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 2tsp lemon juice
Plus one
1. It is important to remove as much surface moisture as
possible to prevent the fish sticking to the grill during cooking,
so give it a firm rub with a dry cloth.
2. If you don’t have a griddle pan, brush the fish with olive oil
or melted butter, season and do the initial cooking under a
preheated grill or directly in the oven.
3. A dusting of flour will help to stop the fish from sticking and
give it a golden crust.
4. By marking the fish over a high heat you will get a smoky
chargrilled flavour; you can then finish cooking the fish gently
in the oven. If you cooked the fish completely on the grill it
would become dry and tough, and the skin would burn.
Method:
• To make the spiced butter, mix
together the butter, chilli, paprika and
lemon juice. Taste and adjust the spice
if necessary.
• Scoop the butter onto a sheet of
cling film and wrap in the film, forming
the butter into a sausage shape. Twist
the ends of the cling film to secure.
Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to
firm up (or freeze).
• To prepare the fish, an hour before
cooking, take your fish from the fridge
and firmly pat dry with a cloth or kitchen
paper(1). Preheat the oven to 180°
C/Gas 4
and your griddle pan to full heat(2). Lightly
dust the fish with flour and pat off the
excess(3). Season lightly with sea salt and
black pepper.
• To cook the fish, lay the fish on the grill or
barbecue and cook, without moving, for one
minute on each side(4). Lift into a lightly buttered
baking tray and finish cooking in the oven for eight
to 10 minutes. Serve topped with the spiced butter.
SPRING 2013 FINE FOODIES
27